The Bach-Archiv Leipzig or Bach-Archiv is the institution for the documentation and research of life and work of Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...

 in Leipzig

Leipzig

Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...

, where Bach lived from 1723 until his death. Topic of research is also the Bach family

Bach family

The Bach family was of importance in the history of music for nearly two hundred years, with over 50 known musicians and several notable composers, the best-known of whom was Johann Sebastian Bach...

, especially their music. Since 2008 the Bach-Archiv is part of the University of Leipzig

University of Leipzig

The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...

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History

The Bach-Archiv was founded on the occasion of the bicentennial of Bach's death in 1950 by Werner Neumann

Werner Neumann

Werner Neumann was a German musicologist. He founded the Bach-Archiv Leipzig on 20 November 1950 and was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :Neumann studied at the Conservatory of Leipzig from 1928 to...

, who remained its director until 1973. It served as a central archive for manuscripts and historic documents connected to the composer and a central research center related to him and his family. The institute was instrumental in the second edition of Bach's complete works, the Neue Bach-Ausgabe

Neue Bach-Ausgabe

The Neue Bach-Ausgabe is the second complete edition of the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, published by Bärenreiter. The name is short for Johann Sebastian Bach: Neue Ausgabe sämtlicher Werke...

, in collaboration with the West German Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Institut Göttingen, directed by Alfred Dürr

Alfred Dürr

Alfred Dürr was a German musicologist. He was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :...

.

The Bach-Archiv was part of the East German conference of national culture, Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen

Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen

The Konferenz Nationaler Kultureinrichtungen or Conference of National Cultural Institutions is a union of more than twenty cultural organizations in the former East Germany...

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Since 23 November 2008 the Bach-Archiv is an institute of the University of Leipzig

University of Leipzig

The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...

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Location

The Bach-Archiv is housed since 1985 in the historic Bosehaus opposite the Thomaskirche. The Bach-Museum is in the same building. The site was restored from 2008 to 2010 to comply with the latest safety requirements, and was opened again on 20 March 2010 by the President of Germany

President of Germany

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is the country's head of state. His official title in German is Bundespräsident . Germany has a parliamentary system of government and so the position of President is largely ceremonial...

, Horst Köhler

Horst Köhler

Horst Köhler is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union. He was President of Germany from 2004 to 2010. As the candidate of the two Christian Democratic sister parties, the CDU and the CSU, and the liberal FDP, Köhler was elected to his first five-year term by the Federal Assembly on...

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Directors

• 1950–1973: Werner Neumann
  Werner Neumann
  Werner Neumann was a German musicologist. He founded the Bach-Archiv Leipzig on 20 November 1950 and was a principal editor of the Neue Bach-Ausgabe, the second edition of the complete works of Johann Sebastian Bach.- Professional career :Neumann studied at the Conservatory of Leipzig from 1928 to...
  
  
• 1974–1979: Hans-Joachim Schulze
• 1979–1991: Werner Felix
• 1992–2000: Hans-Joachim Schulze
• since 2001: Christoph Wolff
  Christoph Wolff
  Christoph Wolff is a German-born musicologist, presently on the faculty of Harvard University. Born and educated in Germany, Wolff studied organ and historical keyboard instruments, musicology and art history at the Universities of Berlin, Erlangen, and the Music Academy of Freiburg, receiving a...
  
  

Relevance

Today the Bach-Archiv is a renowned center of Bach research with a scientific library for Bach topics. The public is addressed in the Bach-Museum, in performances, especially the international festival Bachfest Leipzig

Bachfest Leipzig

The Leipzig Bach Festival is a music festival which takes place annually in the city of Leipzig, where Bach worked as the Thomaskantor from 1723 until his death in 1750....

 (de), and the competition Internationaler Johann-Sebastian-Bach-Wettbewerb

International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition

The International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition is a music competition in Leipzig, Germany, held by the Bach-Archiv Leipzig. It was founded in 1950 and was held every four years from 1964 to 1996 with five subjects and is now held every two years with three changing subjects...

s.

External links

• Bach-Archiv Leipzig website
• Bach-Archiv in Leipzig Leipzig
• Bach-Archiv Leipzig zieht positive Jahresbilanz 2010 Bach-Archiv, Leipzig, 23 December 2010 (in German)